Our meatloaf is part of our rotating menu of prepared foods at the Farm Store, and it’s a real representation of our working farm: we use our pasture-raised beef and farmstead cheddar, organic onions from the Market Garden, eggs from our chicken flock, and sourdough bread from the onsite bakery, O Bread. They’re all fairly staple ingredients that come together to feed a crowd with what is, essentially, a cheeseburger in a loaf pan. And who wouldn't want that?

Fun sidenote: Managing food waste is a huge piece of running a restaurant. When the restaurant is open, we have a standing daily order of O Bread loaves delivered. As you can imagine, predicting exactly how much bread you’ll need on any given day isn’t always easy. When there are leftovers, we freeze any excess bread from the day, and use them for wintertime recipes, like meatloaf.

Ingredients

For the meatloaf

• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 medium onions, small dice
• 2–3 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ loaf of bread, crust removed and torn into small pieces (about the size of a pea)
• Enough milk to soak the bread in a single layer
• 3 lb ground beef
• 1 ½ Tbsp cracked black pepper
• 4 Tbsp kosher salt
• ¾ cup grated one-year cheddar
• 2 whole eggs

For the glaze

• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• ½ tsp tamari or soy sauce

Method

1. Add the olive oil to a medium sized pot over medium high heat. Add the onion and stir to coat. Cook until translucent (about 15 minutes). 
2. Once the onions are translucent, turn the heat down to medium and fold in the miced garlic, stirring continuously to stir to ensure the garlic doesn’t burn. Once the garlic is translucent, remove the mixture and chill in the refrigerator (or at least get it to room temperature before folding together with the ground beef).
3. Remove the crust from the bread and save for another use. Tear the inner dough into small, bite-sized pieces. Soak the torn bread in just enough milk to cover for a minimum of 15 minutes (we soak it overnight).
4. Remove the bread and discard any remaining milk. Combine the ground beef with salt and pepper, bread, cheese, and two eggs. This mixing is best done by hand, but a wooden spoon will also work. Do not use a mixer; it is easy to overwork the mixture resulting in an overly firm, bouncy texture.
5. Place the meatloaf mixture into a loaf pan and bake at 350°F for 45-60 minutes or until the meatloaf reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. 
6. Mix all ingredients for the glaze together in a bowl. Once the meatloaf reaches temperature, remove from the oven. Carefully pour off any excess grease/fat that has rendered. Pour the glaze on top of the meatloaf, and return to the oven for an additional 5 minutes.